


Borrowed Time

by Astrumiel, sasstrick



Category: Cut & Run - Madeleine Urban & Abigail Roux, Sidewinder Series - Abigail Roux, Warrior's Cross - Madeleine Urban & Abigail Roux
Genre: Alternate Universe - Time Travel, M/M, Recovery, Time Travel
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-11-21
Updated: 2015-11-21
Packaged: 2018-05-02 16:05:42
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,932
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5254640
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Astrumiel/pseuds/Astrumiel, https://archiveofourown.org/users/sasstrick/pseuds/sasstrick
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Cameron inherited the Inn when his only living relative passed. The issue? It’s in Ireland. When he stumbles across the bleeding man in Castle Cross, his entire idea of life and time will be changed. Because in the loneliness of the Irish wilds, legends tell of fairy circles and sprites luring wanderers off their path and into different realms. Most of these stories are simple legends and myths, nothing more. But as the saying goes, every legend holds a truth within it.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Borrowed Time

Cam hovered over a stack of finances, his hands running through his hair. His grandmother had passed a few months ago, leaving him the Inn. And the debt that came with it.

“Cam?” Miri wondered, poking her head into his office. He straightened, trying to breath and gave her a calm smile.

“Yes, sorry, what can I do for you?”

“There’s been a few complaints, leaking roof again. We might need to go for a town run for some supplies,” She gave him a sympathetic look and he nodded.

When he had been told that his only living relative had passed away and left him everything in Ireland, Miri, a good friend, had been completely supportive and offered to come work for him. He had no idea why he came here, but he had.

“I’ll take a trip this afternoon, would you make a list for me so I can get everything in one trip?” He asked and she nodded.

“No problem. I’ll go find Jean-Michel and find out what he needs before he starts supper,” She winked and disappeared behind the door.

He collected the legal papers on his desk and stuffed them into the drawers. He would worry about them another day. For now, he had to keep the Inn going.

Over the next hour, Miri had collected a grocery list for him along with some hardware supplies for the roof. He collected some money from the office to use on the Inn expenses and headed for the door.

“Cam, it’s supposed to rain later, are you sure you shouldn’t wait?” Miri asked, helping him with the cart wagon he would collect the supplies in and with his coat as well.

“I should get the roof fixed before the storm, yes?” He smiled, cocking his head and she sighed, nodding.

“Ok, but call me if you need anything. Be careful!” She pointed at him.

The walk to town was a little over 5 miles. The drive was a little dangerous during this time of year with how wet it was so cars weren’t usually used. He was used to walking everywhere though, being from Chicago. The walks were just a little lonelier.

The day wasn’t nearly passed 2 in the afternoon and the sun was completely consumed by dark clouds. It set a gray mood and Cam watched the muddy road as he walked. The distant sounds of sheep and cattle and wind filled his ears and it almost made him uncomfortable.

The move was tough, going from city life to country, but Ireland was beautiful and he would be lying if he said he didn’t enjoy the view from his windows and the privacy of living away from everything.

As he walked, he let his eyes rake the landscape. He smiled softly, approaching one of the old castles that topped a hill in the distance. The structures littered the countryside, mounds of stone and history. They fascinated Cam, the old language carved into the walls, the magic they held. He often wondered who had occupied the interior. The types of lives that had been lived in them.

When he approached the bend where he would see the old Castle of Cross, he slowed. In the distance, he heard more than sheep, cattle, and wind. It was an odd kind of thunder. Cam’s brows came down, watching as the clouds parted and the sun rained down excellent golden rays into the stone walls of the building and the crack of thunder he thought he had heard was followed by another with a loud shout of pain.

Cam’s slow pace down the road turned into a sprint as something in him was pulled to the castle. He left his cart, awkwardly passing over a low stone wall and began to hustle over the wet grassy hills to where he heard the moans of pain.

As he approached, the noises stopped. Cam stopped as well, a a few feet from the arched entry of the broken hall and he tilted his head, confused.

The silence radiated around him and he took a careful step into the building, his heart thudding loudly into his ribcage. The cries had been terrifying and painful. He knew he hadn’t imagined it. But where…?

A woosh of air knocked him back into the mud. He gasped, clutching at his chest and looking around the stone, eyes wild and anxious. everything was the same as it had been.

Accept for the moaning body that lay ahead of him.

A spew of painful curses came from a foreign tongue and Cam scrambled, wondering if he should flee, but the pull in his chest was strong and against his better judgment, he reached out.

A growling shout erupted from the body, a hand shooting out to grip Cam’s wrist and they both froze in that moment, dark eyes meeting warm ones. Cam fell to his knees, the iron grip on him too strong for him to keep a decent footing at the awkward angle. He stared at the man, the man stared back at him and they were so close that the fog of their breathing mingled between them.

The man was so… dark. So handsome and raged and chaos. He didn’t release Cam until the pain was too much and his eyes clenched shut as he curled into his body a choked moan passing his lips.

“Hey,” Cam started, shuffling closer. “Hey, what happened? Are you okay?” He asked hurriedly, hands fluttering over the man. He saw blood but he didn’t know where it was coming from.

The man cursed again, the roll of his tongue resembling that of an Irish tinge, but carried something ancient. The words were nothing Cam had ever heard before.

“Let me-” Cam started and the man froze to watch as Cam laid a hand on his arm.

“I - I can help” He tried again in very halting gaelic, wishing he had learned more than the handful of basics on the trip over. Just as slowly the man nodded then grimaced as if the action had caused him pain. 

The extent of Cameron’s gaelic pretty much ran out there, so he moved his hand to the man’s neck. Hopefully he’d understand what Cam intended to do. He managed to slide an arm behind him for support, feeling the man’s warm weight against him. He began to help him sit up when the man suddenly went rigid in his arms a low hiss of deep pain striping him of his voice.

Cameron held him until the moment passed feeling guilty for having caused him more pain. It really didn’t help that the man was wearing a red riding coat, it hid whatever wound he had suffered. 

“Where?” He asked in gaelic hoping the other man understood what he was asking. At first he seemed like he was in too much pain to register what Cameron had asked. Then slowly he pulled back his coat to reveal a shallow but long cut on his side dark crimson staining the pale shirt that had been ripped throught.

“Oh hell.” Cam whispered before pulling off his scarf and pressing it against the wound, watching grimly as the thin material went from soft heather-gray to red. Rather than trying to ask him anything he took the man’s hand and pressed it over the wound, keeping pressure on it. He had to get him back down to help, somehow. There was no way he could possibly carry the other man, but maybe they could make it to the inn before the storm overhead hit.

“I’m sorry, this is going to hurt.” He said regardless of the fact that the other man more than likely didn’t understand. This time when he helped the man sit up he didn’t hiss in pain, instead he gave Cameron a tight nod to keep going. Together they stood, Cameron taking as much weight as he could to help the other man along. It was a slow walk over slippery stones and patches of muddy grass to where Cameron had left his cart. He debated on it for a moment before abandoning it on the road, he could always come back for it, or send Miri to get it. The thing probably couldn’t take the man’s weight, and the small wheels were already sinking into the mud.

“A little further, you can see the Inn from here.” Cam promised. “Just a little further.”

“A little further” turned out to be a nearly twenty minute walk. By the time they stumbled through the door the sound of rain and thunder was quickly approaching from the moors and the man’s face was now ghostly pale. He slumped against Cameron breathing shallowly.

Cameron didn’t even bother to yell for Miri to help him, he pulled the man into the nearest bedroom and lowered him as carefully as he could. The man shuttered, either from pain or the cold.

“Cameron?” Miri called from down the hall.

“I’m in here!” Cameron called back then seeing the man on the bed tense at the sound he added. “Don’t come in!”

“Are you alright?” Miri asked thankfully pausing at the door.

“I- umm I kind of-”

“You kind of walked on the ruins and got hurt again didn’t you?” Miri asked.

Well technically she wasn’t wrong but he couldn’t risk her trying to come in to help, something was telling him to keep this quiet.

“It’s not too bad, I just had to leave the stuff behind. Could you-”

“Cameron you sure you’re alright? you sound strange.” Miri asked cracking the door open.

“I’m fine, but could you go get the stuff before the rain soaks it?” Cameron asked hating to ask her for this. “It’s right on the path, but maybe take someone with you please?”

She paused then sighed good naturedly. “Sure thing. I’ll come check on you when I get back though.”

“Alright, thanks Miri!” Cam rushed and held he and the man still until he heard her retreat. When they were alone, Cam shuddered and looked down at the bleeding man on the bed. He was watching Cam carefully and the look in his eyes bore deep into Cam. It made him shiver.

“I need to find the first aid kit. We might have some sutures, but I might need to call a doctor-”

The man made a low noise, shaking his head and struggling on the bed. Sounds of pain escaped his lips and he struggled to get up. Cam watched in horror, reaching for him and sitting beside him on the bed. His hands ghosted over the man’s arms, soothing the worry. He ran his fingers over the clammy skin and reached for the man’s face, holding him still and making him look at him.

“Hey, shh, it’s okay. I won’t call, but this is really messy and I’m worried-” Cam tried and the man shook his head heavily, chaos and fear in his gaze.

aon dochtúir

“Níor dochtúir,” He babbled. Cam’s very little knowledge of Gaelic could assume what it meant and he sighed, nodding to calm to man down.

“You might die,” He said pleadingly. The man only shook his head, breaths heavy and shuddered. Cam smoothed his hand over the man’s dark hair and laid him down once more, hoping he would listen. “Let me find the kit,” He mumbled. “Stay,” He ordered, hoping the man could understand by the tone of his voice. The man watched him for a moment before nodding.

Cam slipped from the room in a rush, locking the door behind him with his skeleton key and rushing towards the staff room in the back of the kitchen. He found the tin box under the counter and opened it, praying there was something he could use.

“Please, please, please,” He murmured to himself, pushing wads of gauze and bandages and ointments. He needed something to close the wound and he didn’t even know how to begin. He didn’t feel comfortable using medical sutures, much less cooking string from the kitchen.

“Excuse me?” The question made Cam jump, the first aid kit flying from his arms and landing with a loud crack against the stone floor. He huffed, calming his heart and swiped a hand over his sweating brow.

A man stood in the doorway, clean shaven cheeks and fine blond hair on a warm, worried smile. He had his head cocked and he held up his hands in piece.

“You alright kid?” He asked and Cam cleared his throat. This guest had checked in a few days prior, Blake, Cam believed was his name. He was quiet and didn’t leave his room much.

“Yes, sorry sir. What can I do for you?” Cam asked, heart still racing with the need to go back to the man bleeding to death in one of the rooms.

“I heard you down here. Sounded urgent. You need medical, son?” He asked. “I was a medic. Military,” He explained, offering his hands up in a motion of offer.

“Ah-” Cam struggled. This was safe. He wasn’t a doctor around the area. He was a guest.

“I can keep my mouth shut,” Blake chuckled and Cam sighed, giving him a smile.

“I have a… guest. He has a really bad cut on his abdomen. He was… exploring the ruins,” Cam tried and the man laughed, shaking his head.

“Don’t ask, don’t tell. Let me get my bag and I’ll come find you,” He said and turned to leave. Cam stood there for a moment, trying to catch his breath and bent to pick up the first aid kit. He tucked the mess under his arm and headed back to the room, swallowing his nerves before pushing the door open.

The man was laying on top of the comforter still, but this time his torso was bare, revealing his bloodied wound and sweat streaked skin. Cam paused for a moment, swallowing against the lump in his throat.

“Hey,” He started softly. The man’s dark eyes fluttered open and watched him as he came in. Cam set the supplies on the table beside the bed and sat at the man’s hip. “I know you said no doctors, but there’s a guest here that has offered to help-”

“Nnn,” The man began to move and Cam reached for him again, making soothing sounds to calm him. His hands went to his face again and soothed his hair away from his sweaty forehead. He stroked and calmed, running his thumb over the man’s cheekbone.

“It’s ok. Please, he won’t say anything, I promise. Please just let him look at you,” Cam pleaded and the man stared at him, eyes stormy and terrified. He was like a trapped animal and it broke Cam’s heart. “Please,” He tried again, holding the man close. After a moment, he nodded and Cam sighed in relief, never breaking eye contact. The gaze was strange. It felt… different. It felt deeper. It felt like they were connected and Cam couldn’t understand why.

“Ahem,” A cough at the door and the spell was broken. Cam jerked away so fast he felt dizzy. He stood in a rush and faced Blake, smoothing down the front of his bloodied shirt.

“He, uh- He doesn’t really-”

“Don’t ask, don’t tell, kid,” Blake smiled and proceeded into the room, grabbing the chair at the desk to drag beside the bed. “Let’s have a look,” Blake snapped and the man in the bed glared, snapping his fingers back at Blake. Blake grinned.

Blake worked in silence, the only words he spoke were for Cam to collect a bowl of hot water and some towels. He cleaned the wound while Cam stood on the wounded man’s opposite side. He watched in horror as the wound was cleaned and saw just how deep it went as Blake opened it to see the damage.

The man’s hands clutched at the bed, trying to find purchase. While his gaze was steady and face composed, his body said otherwise.

Without thinking, Cam reached down and took the man’s hand. His hard eyes jerked to Cam and for a moment, Cam thought he would pull away, but instead, the man tightened his hold on his fingers and looked down.

“There might be risk for infection if we’re not careful. This may need hospital care. Internal damage is likely,” Blake rattled off and the man in the bed shook his head hard.

“Please, do what you can,” Cam said softly, knowing it was a useless effort. Blake sighed, reaching for his medical string.

“Listen,” He started, looking at the wounded man. “I know for some reason you do not want to be seen. But if you don’t get this looked at with the proper antibiotics, it will infect and you will die-”

“Nay,” The man growled. Blake glared for a moment and sighed, shaking his head.

“Fine, rot for all I care,” Blake laughed. Cam looked at him in horror, his hand tightening and Blake gave him a reassuring look. “Relax kid, I have some meds in the bag, but he better be careful or he might need more,” He said and Cam nodded.

When the needle first broke skin, the wounded man showed no reaction, but the moment it went through the meat of the opposite side and tightened, his back arched, moving away from the pain while he hissed through his teeth.

“Shhh,” Cam soothed desperately when Blake glared at the man for moving. Cam sat on the mattress at the man’s hip and ran his hand over his cheek like he had before. The man huffed and glared at Blake before looking at Cam and nodding. Blake continued to close the wound and as he went, the wounded man’s face looked more and more green and Cam eventually brought his head to rest on his chest while he played with his dark hair. Blake didn’t comment, just kept working. Once the sutures were done, he reached for a tin of antiseptic and slathered the wound with it. He set it on the table instead of putting it back in his bag. He used clean gauze and packed it over the wound, wrapping it around the man’s torso and tying it off.

By the time they were finished, the wounded man had passed out on the blankets. He was fitful and Cam had a feeling that while he was unconscious, the man was still alert and aware just as he was when he was awake.

“I’ll only be here for another week, but I’ll keep an eye on him until then,” Blake said, wiping his hands and gathering his back. “When he wakes, you might want to move him to a more private room. He doesn’t want to be found, and if he’s closer to me, I can take care of him better.”

“I’ll try to see if he will move when he wakes,” Cam nodded, hearing the back door of the Inn open and he followed Blake out.

“We’ll talk later,” Blake nodded at him and Cam sighed, heading for his room so he may change his bloody shirt before Miri got ahold of him.

~*~

Julian watched them leave in silence. As soon as the door clicked shut, his eyes fluttered open and he took a deep breath to keep his brewing panic at bay.

He closed his eyes again, still smelling the smaller man’s scent and using it to calm him. He had no idea what the hell was happening. He was so confused and by god he was scared. Julian didn’t get scared often.

He glanced down at the bandaged wound on his abdomen and groaned. Arlo had gotten him just as he tripped into the ravine. The pull had been powerful and he had no chance to protect himself from the swinging blade. He’d had worse wounds, but this…. world’s medicine was a bit different from what he was used to. He had no idea where he was. He didn’t know what had happened.

All he knew was the gentle, soft man that had found him was the force that led him here.

Julian frowned again, wanting him back beside him. The only thing he trusted in this world he didn’t know. He needed to see those calming blue eyes and the soft skin against his hand. He needed to be enveloped in the serene once again before he lost his grip on his sanity.

~*~

“Cam?” Miri asked, coming into the kitchen. He was going over the inventory for the kitchen with Jean-Michel for the next order in.

“Yes?” He asked, looking up from his clipboard.

“Where is the key to the Blue Room?” She asked. Cam stopped for a moment and cleared his throat.

It’d been a week since Cam had found the man in the ruins. He and Blake had moved him to one of the top floors of the Inn. Into the Blue Room. He hadn’t told anyone about him yet. He didn’t know if he planned to.

“I have it. No vacancy in there, there’s a bad leak,” He lied and she sighed.

“We have a couple needing a room. That’s the only vacant one.”

“You’ll have to turn them away. There’s a few rooms available at the pub,” He tried and she sighed.

“Cam, can we really afford to be turning people away right now?” She argued and he glared. Jean-Michel took a step back, eyebrows climbing high.

“Is that any of your business, Miri? Are you not getting your paychecks?” He snapped shortly. “We can’t afford bad reviews either, so tell them we are sorry, but there are some rooms available down the road if they are in need.”

“They already stopped there and it’s raining Cam. They’ll take what they can get,” She glared, unfazed by his shortness. They glowered for a moment and Cam glanced out the kitchen window to see the ruthless rain pounding against the glass. A tinge of guilt fluttered in his chest and he sighed, hesitating. He couldn’t turn someone away in this.

“Give me 20 minutes,” He muttered, still looking out into the storm.

“Thank you,” She snapped, turning on his heel.

“I can get some mudding, patch up what I can?” Jean-Michel suggested.

“It’s fine, thank you.” Cam said under his breath. He set the clipboard down.

The man was sleeping when he entered the locked room. He was sweating and his brows were furrowed and his deep frown made Cam think he was having a nightmare.

Very carefully, Cam stepped to him, smoothing a hand over his brow and froze, remembering he probably shouldn’t be touching a stranger so familiarly. He swallowed and let his hand fall to the man’s shoulder and he shook him as gently as he could.

Cam wasn’t expecting the reaction he got. In a matter of seconds, Cam went from sitting on the side of the bed, to being pinned to the ground under a sweating, hulking body.

“It’s me!” He gasped, the hand on his throat unyielding. “Shh, it’s ok, it’s me!” Cam stressed as quietly as he possibly could and his hands fluttered up to the strong ones around his throat. The blazing black eyes seemed to clear and Cam was soon looking at a cowering man, shaking hands and heaving chest.

“Nn,” He shook his head, and Cam reached for him.

“It’s ok, it’s ok!” Cam tried, gripping the man’s arm. “We need to move you,” He explained, knowing the man couldn’t understand him, so he pointed to him and then the door. “We have to hurry!” He explained, getting up to gather the medical supplies near the bed. The man understood his haste and stood, holding his side, gathering his things. Cam paused for a moment, watching him move, the heavy muscles adjusting under skin and jumping from the pull of stitches. The man’s long curly hair clung to the skin of his neck and forehead. His skin was sickly pale and it made Cam’s heart hurt. What if he’d had a fever? Blake was leaving in only a few days. Where would that leave them? Cam wasn’t a doctor, he couldn’t care for a man with a gaping hole in his body.

“Greas ort,” The man said softly, reaching his hand out to Cam. Cam looked at it a long moment before nodding and brushing past him and peaking out into the hall. It was clear, so Cam slipped through, clothes and medicine and gauze caught up in his arms. The man pressed up behind him close and Cam reached behind to take his forearm, leading him to the back of the Inn, taking a short set of stairs to a thin door. He pushed through into the dark, up more steps and into an open room.

He flipped the low light on to his living quarters and dropped everything in his arms onto the table in the middle of the room.

“The bed is through the door,” He pointed. The man nodded. “I’ll check on you when I can,” Cam said softly, looking hesitant. The man stared at him in silence, his dark eyes warm and reassuring. He nodded again, urging Cam to go and Cam turned on him before he was inclined to touch.

He rushed back to the room, tearing off the sheets and replacing them just as fast. He replaced the quilt on top and the pillow as well, making sure the rest of the room was free of any sign of the man. The only thing he noticed was how stuffy it was, so he threw the window open just as a knock came.

“Cam, is the room ready?” Miri asked, pushing through without waiting for his reply. Cam nodded, pushing past her and immediately shoved the soiled sheets through the shoot on the opposite wall.

“What was wrong with the sheets?” She asked, confused.

“The leak was hitting the bed. I replaced them and covered the hole,” He said shortly. He headed for his room, leaving Miri to get the couple settled in.

Instead of finding the man asleep once again, he was standing, circling around the room. Cam paused in the doorway watching him and worrying his lip. The man’s chest was shining from the sweat and his face looked even paler than it had a moment before and Cam stepped forward.

“You should…” Cam started, gesturing to the bedroom. The man turned to him slowly, his eyes drooping. He was facing the bookshelf his grandmother had before Cam had taken the Inn. He hadn’t read many of the books, they were mostly history books, architecture from the area. The man turned back to them, his fingers reaching to touch them, his eyes staring in wonder.

“Nn,” He grunted and Cam took a step towards him.

“Would you like me to read to you?” He asked him and the man looked at him, body swaying from his exhaustion. Cam pointed to the books and then gestured to the bedroom. “I will read to you if you get in bed,” He stated and the man must have gotten the hint because he nodded and headed for the room. Cam watched him go, his nerves in his throat. Blindly, he reached for one of the books before heading after him.

The man was climbing into the bed as Cam walked in and settling beneath the covers. Cam dragged the small cushioned chair from the corner to set beside the man’s side.

“Are you thirsty?” Cam asked softly, reaching over to adjust the blanket. The man watched Cam’s fingers. He swallowed, settling back on the pillows and lulling his head to watch Cam through tired eyes. The smaller man watched him, brow creased in worry. He loved to watch Cam. He didn’t know why, but he was calming in a way, his gentle features warming the man’s body. His eyes were something as well. Warm and round and careful. Cam’s voice was also something that the man found himself needing. He loved the tone of it, the edge of fear whenever Blake was working on him. It lulled him, enveloped him.

He finally shook his head to Cam’s question and let his body settle back. Cam huffed, nodding before opening the book. He read a random passage, his voice somewhat monotone, but it still soothed the man in the bed. He closed his eyes as Cam read and drifted.

Cam read long after the man had fallen asleep and he seemed to be in a trance. The book wasn’t anything extraordinary, it was just a small text about the local architectures, past and present. Cam paused as he finished a chapter and looked up to stare at the man, his mind acknowledging the fact that he was still sitting there reading because if he stopped, he would be expected to leave his side.

And Cam didn’t want to do that.

Cam studied the man’s features. The hard lines of his face, the way his nose, straight and long, only added a hard edge to his features. His jaw was strong and Cam found himself wanting to touch again. The thought made his throat close and he shook his head, looking back down to the book.

What he saw on the page made him pause. His lips parted as he stared down at the small painted portrait of a man. His features dark and familiar, his expression steady and hard. Cam swallowed, finding the caption beneath it.

_Julian Cross, Peer of Earl O’Flaherty, 1500 AD._


End file.
